Saturday, 19 February 2011

Preserved Lemons

Preserves and Pickles is a book dedicated to jam and jelly making, preserving and pickling. Not only are there recipes for the classic raspberry jam, lemon curd and apricot chutney, there are some exciting new recipes such as tutti frutti jam and lemon & fig marmalade. The book is by Gloria Nicol, a journalist and photographer living the good life in rural Britain. She has a online shop selling vintage homeware and linens, plus a blog with categories from foraging to canning.

The book takes us through the basics of jam-making and preserving techniques, there's also a problem solving section - did you know that your jam can shrink in the jar because it has been inadequately covered or sealed, or hasn't been stored in a cool, dark, and dry place?

Many of the recipes will come into their own during the summer months, when ripe fruit is in abundance. There is something rather satisfying about popping open a jar of jam or pickle, that amazing scent providing us with memories of bountiful past seasons.

I chose to make something new to me, preserved lemons. Basically, you just carefully slice into the lemons, and open them out slightly before filling with coarse sea salt. Pack them into a sterilised jar, you can flavour with chilli peppers or coriander seeds, then press down on them for a few days before adding more lemon juice and then leaving for a month to soften. How easy is that! Mine have been in the jar for a couple of weeks now and I'm itching to use them in some Moroccan recipes.

If you grow your own fruit and vegetables, or come home from the farmers' markets with overflowing bags of fresh produce, this book will show you how to make the best of the glut, and come Christmas, you could be opening a jar of crab apple & vanilla curd!

I find preserving such a rewarding activity although I don't do it as often as I could. At the moment I'm waiting for our autumn chutneys and sloe gin to mature. Your preserved lemons look great and wonder what lovely recipes you'll use them for!

i have lots of recipes that call for preserved lemons, but sadly, i've never used them. why not? i had no idea how to make them or where to buy them! thanks so much--your lemons look beautiful and undoubtedly contribute much to so many dishes. :)